The present invention relates generally to a postage metering system and method for evidencing postage payment in an open system and, more particularly, to a postage metering system and method for evidencing postage payment in a virtual meter configuration.
Postage metering systems have been developed which employ encrypted information that is printed on a mailpiece as part of an indicium evidencing postage payment. The encrypted information includes a postage value for the mailpiece combined with other postal data that relate to the mailpiece and the postage meter printing the indicium. The encrypted information, typically referred to as a digital token or a digital signature, authenticates and protects the integrity of information, including the postage value, imprinted on the mailpiece for later verification of postage payment. Since the digital token incorporates encrypted information relating to the evidencing of postage payment, altering the printed information in an indicium is detectable by standard verification procedures. Examples of systems that generate and print such indicium are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,718, 4,757,537, 4,775,246 and 4,873,645, each assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Presently, there are two postage metering device types: a closed system and an open system. In a closed system, the system functionality is solely dedicated to metering activity. Examples of closed system metering devices, also referred to as postage evidencing devices, include conventional digital and analog (mechanical and electronic) postage meters wherein a dedicated printer is securely coupled to a metering or accounting function. In a closed system, typically the printer is securely coupled and dedicated to the meter, and printing evidence of postage cannot take place without accounting for the evidence of postage. In an open system, the printer is not dedicated to the metering activity, freeing system functionality for multiple and diverse uses in addition to the metering activity. Examples of open system metering devices include personal computer (PC) based devices with single/multi-tasking operating systems, multi-user applications and digital printers. An open system metering device is a postage evidencing device with a non-dedicated printer that is not securely coupled to a secure accounting module. An open system indicium printed by the non-dedicated printer is made secure by including addressee information in the encrypted evidence of postage printed on the mailpiece for subsequent verification. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,718 and 4,831,555, each assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
The United States Postal Service (xe2x80x9cUSPSxe2x80x9d) has proposed an Information-Based Indicia Program (xe2x80x9cIBIPxe2x80x9d), which is a distributed trusted system to retrofit and augment existing postage meters using new evidence of postage payment known as information-based indicia. The program relies on digital signature techniques to produce for each envelope an indicium whose origin can be authenticated and content cannot be modified. IBIP is expected to support new methods of applying postage in addition to the current approach, which typically relies on a postage meter to mechanically print indicia on mailpieces. IBIP requires printing a large, high density, two-dimensional (xe2x80x9c2-Dxe2x80x9d) bar code on a mailpiece. The 2-D bar code encodes information and is signed with a digital signature.
The USPS has published draft specifications for IBIP. The INFORMATION BASED INDICIA PROGRAM (IBIP) INDICIUM SPECIFICATION, dated Jun. 13, 1996, and revised Jul. 23, 1997, (xe2x80x9cIBIP Indicium Specificationxe2x80x9d) defines the proposed requirements for a new indicium that will be applied to mail being created using IBIP. The INFORMATION BASED INDICIA PROGRAM POSTAL SECURITY DEVICE SPECIFICATION, dated Jun. 13, 1996, and revised Jul. 23, 1997, (xe2x80x9cIBIP PSD Specificationxe2x80x9d) defines the proposed requirements for a Postal Security Device (xe2x80x9cPSDxe2x80x9d), which is a secure processor-based accounting device that dispenses and accounts for postal value stored therein to support the creation of a new xe2x80x9cinformation basedxe2x80x9d postage postmark or indicium that will be applied to mail being processed using IBIP. The INFORMATION BASED INDICIA PROGRAM HOST SYSTEM SPECIFICATION, dated Oct. 9, 1996, defines the proposed requirements for a host system element of IBIP (xe2x80x9cIBIP Host Specificationxe2x80x9d). IBIP includes interfacing user, postal and vendor infrastructures which are the system elements of the program. The INFORMATION BASED INDICIA PROGRAM KEY MANAGEMENT PLAN, dated Apr. 25, 1997, defines the generation, distribution, use and replacement of the cryptographic keys used by the USPS product/service provider and PSDs (xe2x80x9cIBIP KMS Specificationxe2x80x9d). The specifications are collectively referred to herein as the xe2x80x9cIBIP Specificationsxe2x80x9d.
The IBIP Specifications define a stand-alone open metering system, referred to herein as a PC Meter comprising a PSD coupled to a personal computer (xe2x80x9cPCxe2x80x9d) which operates as a host system with a printer coupled thereto (xe2x80x9cHost PCxe2x80x9d). The Host PC runs the metering application software and associated libraries (collectively referred to herein as xe2x80x9cHost Applicationsxe2x80x9d) and communicates with one or more attached PSDs. The PC Meter can only access PSDs coupled to the Host PC. There is no remote PSD access for the PC Meter.
The PC Meter processes transactions for dispensing postage, registration and refill on the Host PC. Processing is performed locally between the Host PC and the PSD coupled thereto. Connections to a Data Center, for example for registration and refill transactions, are made locally from the Host PC through a local or network modem/internet connection. Accounting for debits and credits to the PSD is also performed locally, logging the transactions on the Host PC. The Host PC may accommodate more than one PSD, for example supporting one PSD per serial port. Several applications programs running on the Host PC, such as a word processor or an envelope designer, may access the Host Applications.
The IBIP Specifications do not address an IBIP open metering system on a network environment. However, the specifications do not prohibit such a network-based system. Generally, in a network environment a network Server PC controls remote printing requested by a Client PC on the network. Of course, the Client PC controls any local printing.
One version of a network metering system, referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cVirtual Meterxe2x80x9d, has many Host PCs without any PSDs coupled thereto. The Host PCs run Host Applications, but all PSD functions are performed on Server(s) located at a Data Center. The PSD functions at the Data Center may be performed in a secure device attached to a computer at the Data Center, or may be performed in the computer itself. The Host PCs must connect with the Data Center to process transactions such as postage dispensing, meter registration, or meter refills. Transactions are requested by the Host PC and sent to the Data Center for remote processing. The transactions are processed centrally at the Data is Center and the results are returned to the Host PC. Accounting for funds and transaction processing are centralized at the Data Center. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,454,038 and 4,873,645, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The Virtual Meter does not conform to all the current requirements of the IBIP Specifications. In particular, the IBIP Specifications do not permit PSD functions to be performed at the Data Center.
Heretofore, each metering device or accounting unit of a postage metering system has had a single origin of deposit, i.e. has been registered at a single post office. The postage funds stored in each metering device has been credited (deposited) for the account of the single post office, which is expected to be handling all mailpieces containing indicia printed by the metering device registered thereto. Thus, for companies or mailrooms requiring different origins of deposit for processing mailpieces, multiple meters have been needed to achieve such multiple origins of deposit. For example, while most meters in a mailroom in Shelton, Conn. may be configured to evidence postage on mailpieces to be deposited in the Post Office in Shelton, Conn., other meters may be configured to evidence postage on mailpieces to be deposited at different origins of deposit, such as New Haven, Conn., which may be open later than the Shelton Post Office.
It is the current practice for a mailer who wishes to deposit mail in several post offices to have a separate meter for each post office. Sufficient funds must be placed in each meter to pay postage for mail deposited at the corresponding post office. If the meters use a conventional, meter refill process, such as the Postage By Phone(copyright) service provided by Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford, Conn., then the mailer must make separate refill calls for each meter. Further, once the funds are placed in a meter, they cannot easily be withdrawn or transferred to another meter. This presents difficulties for mailers who do not necessarily know in advance how much mail they wish to deposit at each post office.
Various Posts, including the United States Postal Service (USPS), are now considering the viability of a virtual postage metering system. One problem presented by a virtual postage metering system is that it is easily transportable because the metering device is not local to the mailer. For example, a travelling mailer using a notebook computer with Host Applications may desire sending mail from the various locations. However, the current zip deposit requirements of the USPS do not allow such movement of the metering process. Once a virtual meter arrangement is configured for an individual or a company for an origin of deposit, such transporting of the virtual postage metering system would violate current USPS regulations.
It has been determined that a virtual postage metering system provides benefits that are not available under conventional postage payment systems. For the Posts, a virtual postage metering system provides central management of all postage without the need to manage physical meters or PSDs. A further benefit is the opportunity to directly associate a mailer to each mailpiece as opposed to each reset. For mailers, no metering hardware, i.e. postage meter or PSD, is needed. Nor do mailers need to maintain current lists of valid addresses, such as with purchased CDROMs. Mailers can acquire postage on an as-needed basis. Finally, meter vendors do not have to keep track of physical meters. A virtual postage metering system eliminates stolen or relocated meter problems, and simplifies meter management in general.
It has been found that an accounting process can be implemented in a postage metering device that provides simultaneous registration of the postage metering device at several different post offices. Related U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,670, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a system and method whereby the postage metering device can be configured with multiple origins of deposit. The system includes a postal security device (PSD) coupled to a printer module. The PSD includes a first processor, secure accounting module, value storage module and digital signature module. The value storage module includes total postal value information and an origin postal value for each of a plurality of postal origins, wherein the PSD is authorized to dispense evidence of postage payment for each of the postal origins. The PSD performs accounting for each postage evidencing transaction. The accounting includes debiting the total postal value and incrementing one of the origin of postal values corresponding to the postage evidencing transaction. The PSD is registered at each post office corresponding to each of the plurality of postal origins. The method includes selecting one of the postal origins in the accounting module, deducting a requested postal value from a total postal value stored as a general account in the accounting module, adding the requested postal value to a sub-register corresponding to the selected postal origin in the accounting module, generating evidence of postage payment and printing the requested evidence of postage payment and the selected postal origin on the mailpiece. The evidence of postage payment includes a digital token which is an encrypted number generated using information that includes a requested postal value and the selected postal origin. U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,670 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
Typically, a descending register in the postage metering device is credited for an amount of postage funds during postage refill for the postage metering device. In accordance with previously noted U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,670, the postage metering device also includes a plurality of sub-registers representing one of the several different post offices to which the postage metering device is authorized to use as an origin of deposit. For each transaction, when the descending register is debited for an amount of postage one of the sub-registers is incremented for the same amount for transactions associated with its origin of deposit. At the next postage refill transaction for the postage metering device the total internal transfers to each local post office sub-registers are reported to the refill Data Center, which reports the same to the Postal Service. The Postal Service may then account postage refill funds transfer to the appropriate post office. When franking each mailpiece, the postage metering device prints an origination postal code corresponding to an appropriate post office as part of a digital indicium printed on the mailpiece.
In the present invention, the virtual postage metering system includes a Data Center configured with at least one postage metering account (PSA) associated with each mailer licensed under the virtual postage security system. The PSA includes a plurality of sub-registers associated with a plurality of origins of deposits. The sub-registers may be pre-authorized accounts representing origins of deposit from which the mailer is authorized to deposit mail, or may be accounts created each time a mailer chooses to deposit mail from a new origin of deposit. When the mailer requests postage for a mailpiece, for example, through the mailers personal computer, the Data Center performs funds accounting and digital token calculations using a mailers PSA. The digital token includes PSA identification as part of the encrypted information. The Data Center determines the origin of deposit based on the location from which the mailer initiates the request for postage, then performs the accounting in the PSA and the appropriate sub-register, and then generates a token which is then sent to the mailer to be printed on the mailpiece.
The PSA may be a debit account using a refill process similar to that used for traditional meters. In the alternative, the PSA can be a real time payment account that charges postage to a pre-authorized credit account of the mailer. In the preferred embodiment, the Data Center simultaneously charges a mailer""s credit card when the token is generated and accounts for the postage amount in the appropriate sub-register for each origin of deposit so that the proper postal accounts can be credited for the postage issued.
Several benefits are realized from the present invention. One such benefit relates to the postal regulations requiring that the postage printed on a metered mailpiece must be obtained from a meter licensed from the local post office at which the mailpiece is deposited for mailing, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9corigin of depositxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdomainxe2x80x9d. With a PSA at a Data Center and a plurality of sub accounts associated with the PSA, a mailer is not limited to a single origin of deposit or domain. For example, while some mailers may be willing to limit use of the virtual postage metering system to deposit their mailpieces in a single origin of deposit near their workplace, other mailers may desire to deposit their mailpieces at different origins of deposit. For example, a mailer may be travelling with a notebook computer with virtual postage metering system software that would allow access to the Data Center from location associated with other origins of deposit. The present invention provides each mailer with the ability to access his or her PSA at the Data Center from any such locations and to obtain evidence of postage payment that can be printed on the mailpiece and mailed from any of such locations.
The present invention provides a system and method of evidencing postage payment which includes a local postage printing system requesting to a remote data metering center for the generation of postage evidencing. The request includes a postage amount to be printed on a mailpiece. The remote data metering center determines a postal origin corresponding to the request for postage evidencing, then accounts for the postage amount in a general account corresponding to the local postage printing system and in a payment account corresponding to the determined postal origin. The remote data metering center generates postage evidence in response to the request. The postage evidence includes a digital token and the determined postal origin. The remote data metering center sends the postage evidence to the local postage printing system which prints the postage evidence and the determined postal origin on the mailpiece.